Can Bad Coil Plug Wires Cause a Short?

[1996Eclipse420a]

Okay, so like I posted in the other thread.... Your coil has a plug on it of course, and then you have a plug that gives the coil voltage... well, those wires didn't have anything on them at all... they were just out in the open leaning on the valve cover. Can that cause those wires to burn and short out? I wrapped them up in electric tape, and haven't experienced the problem anymore.... lets hope it stays that way.

 

[95ttalontsi]

They can if they rub on the valve cover long enough. Are you talking about the spark plug wires or the electrial wires (the triangle connector at the coil) if they are secured good then they will not move and not get damaged. If your spark plug wires are damaged then voltage will short to the engine instead of going through the spark plug and cause a missfire, usually under load.

 

['97 Cayenne]

Okay, so like I posted in the other thread.... Your coil has a plug on it of course, and then you have a plug that gives the coil voltage... well, those wires didn't have anything on them at all... they were just out in the open leaning on the valve cover. Can that cause those wires to burn and short out? I wrapped them up in electric tape, and haven't experienced the problem anymore.... lets hope it stays that way.

you just answered your own question

From reading this i assume that there was no insulation on two spark plug wires?

...........yes...that will cause a short, because the spark is traveling through the wire and is going to come out the first chance it gets. in your case, the exposed part right near the valve cover.

 

[1996Eclipse420a]

Cayenne, I bought new wires about a month ago (spark plug wires) because my others were worn. It still didn't solve the short, and it wasn't throwing a CEL code. Talon... it's the wires that run into the rectangle connector... the piece that plugs into the coil to make it work... those wires were exposed and had hard crusty spots on them, so I taped them up and it hasn't had the problem since I left college yesterday.

so what I'm saying is the electrical wires on the connector.

 

['97 Cayenne]

That makes more sense. What I would do eliminate the plug by cutting it off along with the bad wire and connect the wires directly with each other. See if that works.

If that doesn't work, check the wires under the coil pack itself to see if there's any corrosion or something going on there.

If the coil pack checks out and your problem still isn't solved, you may have a bad power transitor